He started his Chicago-based pasta-sauce-of-the-month business
with the blessing of his wife, Mary. "Usually I came up with
ideas, and she'd say, 'That's OK.' But when
she said, 'This might work,' I wrote the business
plan."

The idea that hooked Mary was to gain exclusive rights to
original recipes from the nation's top Italian restaurants.
Each month, they mail two pasta sauces, along with recipes, a
newsletter and two packages of imported Italian pasta, to 10,000
hungry subscribers. Within seven years, the couple plans to place
their products in grocery stores and open stand-alone eateries.
Pasta will be "the hamburger of the '90s," says
David, if the Gamperls can help it.

AltiTunes Partners LP

Her company may have started small, but the airport-based music
kiosks have struck a chord. Since we last wrote about Nye in 1995,
AltiTunes has grown: She now has eight kiosks-plus 12 scheduled to
open by year-end-selling 1,800 CD titles in northeastern U.S.
airports.

Nye, a self-proclaimed music junkie, composed the idea in a
European airport. "I saw a cassette tape stand-I was so
excited to see it," she recalls. "Ten years later, I
decided to start my own business; I thought [that concept] should
be brought to the States."

Bring it she did-but only after a hard sell to management at
LaGuardia Airport in New York City, where AltiTunes is based. Says
Nye, "It's always tough to get spots in airports.
That's the toughest part of my job."

Rumpus

The story of how Larry Schwarz switched from the serious
profession of law to the lighthearted world of toys is unusual.
While he was attending law school, his mind would often wander in
class, and he'd sketch ideas for cool toys on his notepads.
When a Chinese manufacturer agreed to make them, Schwarz abandoned
law, and his New York City toy company was born.

Like Schwarz's story, Rumpus' plush toys are atypical.
There's Gus Gutz, a stuffed toy whose throat opens so kids can
pull out his-you guessed it-guts, and Sy Klops, which has a
removable rubber eyeball. Says Schwarz, "So many toys have
movie tie-ins that don't focus on fun-I wanted to make toys
that kids would want to play with."

Schwarz's business got a boost from FAO Schwarz, which
agreed to carry the wacky toys, and from a mention on the
"Live! With Regis & Kathie Lee" show. Today, his
goods are sold via national toy stores and the Internet. Says
Schwarz, "We want to keep having fun."

Anthony Mark Hankins, 28

"I always wanted to be a fashion designer," says
Anthony Mark Hankins. "Since kindergarten, it was all I could
think about."

Since kindergarten? Believe it-this is no idle boast. In fact,
Hankins was no more than 7 years old when he created a suit for his
mother to wear to a wedding. Naturally enough, the once-precocious
designer has since gone on to fashion some $40 million in sales
from the women's sportswear his Dallas company sells in
department stores such as Sears, JC Penney and Nordstrom as well as
on the Home Shopping Network.

"We go after customers who like fashion but can't
afford designer-priced merchandise," explains the
entrepreneur, whose pieces incorporate striking colors and vibrant
patterns. "It's clothing for people who aren't afraid
to express themselves."

Amy Scherber, 37

There's a risk, and an advantage, to opening a bread bakery
in New York City. "People put you under a microscope when you
open," says Scherber. "They were coming in to try our
bread and critique us."

Obviously, they liked what they saw (and smelled and tasted). As
she was busy baking her signature creations-semolina with golden
raisins and fennel, black olive twists, and whole wheat with
walnuts-the normally finicky New York City media hailed Amy's
Bread. When New York Magazine ranked hers as one of the city's
best bread bakeries in 1994, it was, says Scherber, a turning
point: "It legitimized us with all the chefs and restaurants,
and the business took off."

With her bread now available in 30 different stores throughout
the city, her wholesale production is booming. Still, many devoted
fans go out of their way to personally visit one of Scherber's
two retail shops in Manhattan. "It's more tempting to come
to the stores, because the counters are piled with goodies and
there are windows, so people can see the bread being made by
hand," says Scherber, a former chef. "Customers tell me
what their favorite breads are, how they use them, how far
they've driven."

Scherber can relate. Though she's written a cookbook, hosted
a bread-baking series on the Food Network, and hopes to eventually
open another store, what she loves best is baking. "Scoring
the bread, shaping baguettes-seeing the bread going into the oven,
coming out, smelling it, hearing the crust cracking," she says
meditatively. "I find it soothing."

Jeff Haugen, 26, & Tim Cady, 28

As jeff haugen and Tim Cady peered into the window of a vacant
store in Minnetonka, Minnesota, they saw more than just the
hardwood floors, the tin ceiling and the antique detailing. They
saw their future.

"We knew it would be the perfect place [to sell] retail
cigars and accessories," says Haugen.

Not only were they in the right place-they were there at the
right time. "We got [in the market] before all the cigar
manufacturers cut off new accounts," says Haugen. "That
enabled us to solidify relationships with those manufacturers and
have more purchasing power."

Consequently, Haugen and Cady own what many consider the dream
business of the '90s: a cigar establishment complete with
deluxe indoor smoking lounges, cigar vaults for rent and walk-in
humidors. But lest you accuse them of being trendy, Haugen claims,
"We were cigar smokers at a young age."

Previously, Cady worked for an accounting firm and Haugen
managed a hardware store; yet their most important qualification,
says Haugen, is that they're true tobacco men. "We're
searching for new products all the time," he says.
"We're constantly doing taste tests. It's very
important [that we] know the product inside out, and that's why
we've tried everything that's been placed on our
shelves."

Next on the agenda are three more retail stores, scheduled to
open by year-end, and national distribution through their mail
order catalog, J.T. Cullen. In the meantime, Haugen and Cady
continue to enjoy their success. "Yes, there is time at the
end of a long day when we will sit down and have a cognac and enjoy
a fine cigar," says Cady, "just as we always
have."

Marc Levy, 29; Spence Levy, 27; & Jay Abramowitz, 30

Pulling all-nighters during finals is the norm for most college
students. But brothers Marc and Spence Levy and their buddy Jay
Abramowitz, self-proclaimed "caffeine junkies,"
wouldn't just hit the books during late-night cram
sessions-they'd also throw together homemade cola/coffee
concoctions for the ultimate caffeine rush.

Once they graduated, the jolt became a booming beverage business
for the trio. With the help of a flavorist and several months of
trial-and-error testing, they created the winning recipe behind
Cafe Cola, a soda that promises consumers a caffeine level
equivalent to a cup of coffee.

Today, diet and regular versions of the carbonated drink can be
found on the shelves of more than 240 stores in South Florida.
Ninety percent of SOMOJO International's product, however, is
exported to Argentina, Brazil and Russia.

It's all come full circle for these Miami Beach, Florida,
entrepreneurs. Says Spence, "My brother and I always had a
dream growing up that we were going to become millionaires
together."

JoAnne Jonathan, 39

Joanne Jonathan was such a good physical therapist, people kept
asking her to open a clinic. She did-and became one of the few
women business owners in the industry.

While still working for another clinic, Jonathan was asked to do
consulting work for local businesses who were impressed by her
knowledge of typical industrial workers and their back problems.
"They wanted someone who had a knack for recognizing the
special needs of blue-collar employees who were returning to a very
physical job," says Jonathan.

Companies also wanted someone undeterred by the
less-than-glamorous world of industrial physical therapy. Jonathan
was just what the doctor ordered: She responded to the appeal by
opening her first freestanding clinic in a heavily industrial area
of Indianapolis. One location quickly grew to nine, in addition to
six on-site locations at local companies. Recently she formed a
joint venture with four physicians to open an occupational heath
clinic.

While she initially laughed at people when they predicted she
would one day own seven clinics, the physical therapist is
comfortable with her leadership role because, she says, she's
always liked to organize and run things.

Jonathan's future plans include creating an industrial
prevention and wellness program, a natural next step. After all, in
the order of things, prevention comes before-and
after-treatment.

Lisa and Randy Carson, both 37

The motivation to quit their corporate jobs was overwhelming.
Lisa, a former hotel administrative assistant, wanted to be home
with the kids; Randy, a computer training center manager, was just
plain burnt out. "It was a personal lifestyle choice,"
says Randy. "I was mentally and emotionally ready for the
change."

Change is exactly what the Carsons got. Since starting
DirectConnect, which provides computer trainers for educational
centers, from their Gaithersburg, Maryland, home, Lisa and Randy
have managed to gain 150 clients and earn more than $2 million in
annual sales . . . all while caring for their
three children under the age of 5. "After [doing] this for a
year and a half, I don't think a lot about it," says
Randy, "but it's probably pretty radical compared to the
way a lot of people work every day."

One thing the Carsons do think about is the overwhelming demand
among education centers for licensed computer trainers. "I
used to be one of the people I'm selling to," says Randy.
"It's a huge field."

Their long-term plan is to blend family and business.
"I'd like to see the children grow into the
business," says Randy. "Maybe 10 years from now, our
oldest will be able to start making telemarketing calls."

But there's a lot for the Carsons to consider between now
and then. They recently hired two employees and started Birthday
USA, a mail order birthday party supply company. Says Randy,
"I think we need a bigger house."

Greg Maples, 34

Before the wrap, there was High Tech Burrito, back when
launching a gourmet burrito business meant years of hard work
without a vacation. But the hectic pace was no sweat for Greg
Maples, then fresh out of the U.S. Marine Corps. "I was used
to a grueling regimen," says Maples. Armed with an
inheritance, Maples found the inspiration for his business in
memories of his high school hangout-popular for its tasty burritos
but with one unpleasant catch: "We called them 'gut
bombs' because you'd eat them and then feel bad,"
Maples says.

Determined to create a burrito that would satisfy taste buds and
tummy alike, Maples began serving international-style burritos
using low-fat ingredients. "It's been neat to see an
industry [of wrap burritos] created from a part of my menu,"
says Maples. Today, his San Rafael, California-based High Tech
Burrito boasts 275 employees in 15 locations throughout the Bay
Area and a menu-topping Godzilla Burrito that weighs in at
11Â¦2 pounds.

Rounding out Maples' winning approach? It's all in the
details. "I tell my managers, 'Take baby steps and
you'll get there,' " he says. With 2 million High
Tech burritos consumed last year, it appears Maples has
arrived.